Authority, Given and Received: The nature, source, and role of authority is a theme every student needs to consider. This essay approaches the topic in terms of whether authority is conferred or is claimed. “Like most everything else, the question of authority comes down to an issue of theology proper. In the biblical perspective, all […]

Taking War Captive: This CTQ article by Joel P. Meyer examines several views on the just war theories, including John Howard Yoder, Robert Benne, and Martin Luther, in an assessment of Daniel Bell’s book, Just War as a Christian Discipline (Brazos Press, 2009).

Hating the Way Jesus Hates – Why more believers need the courage to get angry at sin: Students in psychology, literature. the neurosciences, political science and other disciplines may find this interview applicable to the proper role of affect in Christian vocation. Aristotle defines “inirascibility,” as a deficit in anger which means not being angry when you should […]

DOE on Anti-LGBT Religious Exemption: Over the last two years the Dept. of Education has granted a number of religiously-controlled colleges an exemption from Title IX where full compliance would conflict with their religious tenets. With the exemption, the schools may continue to receive federal funds even though they discriminate in various ways on the […]

Alberta Gets Transgender-friendly Schools: What can parents expect from new laws in Alberta, Canada, about accommodating the needs of transgender people? Will they affect primary and secondary education? Because the provincial government pays the bills for all public, charter, and religious schools, it also calls the tune.

Why Christians Should Tell the Best Stories: Believing that reality itself is narrative is the key. To tell a story, whether one’s own or a traditional tale, is to mediate the world in its intentionality and narrative character. To tell a story is to affirm that there is meaning to life, and that experience is shaped and […]

ISIS obliterates oldest Christian monastery in Iraq: Published at Crux (The Boston Globe), this is the AP’s thorough coverage on the destruction of the St. Elijah Monastery by ISIS. The oldest Christian monastery in Iraq has been reduced to a field of rubble, yet another victim of the Islamic State group’s relentless destruction of ancient cultural sites. […]

Thou Shalt Not Toss Food: Enlisting Religious Groups To Fight Waste: Separation of church and state? When it comes to fighting food waste, the U.S. government is looking to partner with the faithful. The Environmental Protection Agency on Monday launched the Food Steward’s Pledge, an initiative to engage religious groups of all faiths to help redirect the […]

What is to be done about the death penalty? This set of four essays on the current death penalty debates include a from natural law scholar, Pope Francis, an African-American community activist, and a Mormon studies expert. These concise articles may be useful as a single introductory reading or for a brief unit series of […]